


black lotus

by blessedreylo



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 404 Error Ben Solo Not Found, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Bens mom Leia owns Buds and Blooms flower shop, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Flower Shop!Ben, Flowers, Fluff and Smut, I will consume this trope until my last dying breath, Language of Flowers, Plant Symbolism, Rey has piercings, Rey owns Black Lotus Tattoos, Tattoo Shop Rey, Tattoo Shop!Rey, Tattooed Rey, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Language of Flowers, The sexy kind, author is an essential worker and just wants to escape with cute reylo, but thats not saying much, flower shop ben, the author got sweaty writing this, the fluff to smut ratio is astronomical, this is lowkey the most smuttiest thing i've ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:40:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24156763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blessedreylo/pseuds/blessedreylo
Summary: Ben's mother Leia owns Buds and Blooms, the towns local flower shop. He's slated for a boring corporate life when his new job starts in the fall so he decides to work in his mother's shop for the summer. Everything changes when he meets Rey, the young and beautiful owner of Black Lotus Tattoos just down the block. Everything about her has him drawn in, but it may take more than words to show her how he feels.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 104





	black lotus

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Черный Лотос](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28089048) by [Quasi_Hannah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quasi_Hannah/pseuds/Quasi_Hannah)



> Yes, I'm aware this trope exists and people have probably written it way better than me. However I felt that we were sorely lacking in tattoo shop Rey + flower shop Ben (normally it's the other way around) so I felt inspired to create this little drabble. Full disclosure, I don't know much about plant symbolism but I did as much research as I could because I thought it would be a perfect way for my dorks to fall in love!
> 
> All kudos, comments and feedback are greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

[ ](https://imgur.com/zLm9AgE)

“Ben, don’t forget to water the hydrangeas or they will wilt before we can do Mrs. Kessel’s order!” Leia called out from her office. Honestly, Ben hadn’t thought that coming home after graduating from college would result in him working out of his mother’s flower shop for the summer, but it was the best thing he could think of before he began his corporate job in the city. Buds and Blooms was a quaint little flower shop along the high street that his mother had owned ever since retiring from a life of public service. It was refreshing to see her much more happy surrounded by peonies than politicians, and getting to spend time with her after being gone for so long was nice for him too. It felt like another typical Tuesday morning, until  _ she _ walked in.

He hadn’t expected someone to walk in so soon to them opening up for the day, but the light ringing of the bell above the front door turned him away from watering the hydrangeas to look at her. At least a foot shorter than him, long slender legs, tanned skin, short wavy brown hair were the first things he noticed; what became apparent after the fact were the smattering of tattoos on her arms, the small hoop hanging from her nose and the dark eyeliner across her hazel eyes. She was different, definitely a good different, but different nonetheless. He didn’t know what she was doing here but he couldn’t wait to find out.

“Oh, you’re not Leia? Unless Leia magically grew two feet taller and was built like a refrigerator.” she laughs. He can’t help but nervously laugh back, running a hand through his raven hair.

“Sorry to disappoint,” he jokes. “I’m--”

“Rey! How are you, sweetheart?” Leia came out from around the corner with a bright smile to greet the young girl.  _ Rey _ . Seemed like the most fitting name for a girl with a smile that could light up a room. “I see you’ve already met my son, Ben.”

“I was just getting around to it.” she smiles coyly at him, reaching out her hand for him to shake. He takes it and is momentarily surprised by the firm grip she gives him, feeling a current of electricity when their hands touch. “Nice to meet you, Ben.”

“Likewise, Rey.”

“Rey owns the tattoo shop down the road. The youngest member of the Small Business Owner’s Association, can you believe it?” Leia beams up at her son.

He smiles even more upon seeing a light pink blush creep on her cheeks. “Leia, you flatter me! But I’m here on official business. The lavender flowers you gave me last week? One of my idiot artists dropped the vase and ruined them completely. I would’ve kicked him to the curb if he didn’t do such good ink on my customers.”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure Ben could whip something up for you and bring it over. Wouldn’t you, Ben?” Leia's words light Rey's eyes up in joyous wonder but he tries not to show his momentary panic at the suggestion.

“Uh yeah, of course. Anything you had in mind?” Ben asks, trying to maintain his composure and ignore the coy grin on his mother’s face as they spoke. Whatever game his mother was playing at he didn’t seem to mind if it meant seeing Rey again. 

She shrugs. “Surprise me. I’m sure a guy like you knows what he’s doing.” She does a quick scanning glance of him with a smirk. Rey waves goodbye to Leia and gives Ben one last look before sauntering out of the shop.




He can’t stop thinking about her all afternoon, and not just because he’s tasked with creating a new arrangement for her. There’s something about her that he hasn’t felt about a girl before. His past girlfriends had always been such goody two shoes (too similar to himself unfortunately), but she feels dangerous and a little sinful. He doubts she would ever feel the same about him, she’s probably into badass tattooed guys who ride motorcycles and play darts in shady dive bars. But even just to see her again and make her smile is good enough for him.

It takes a few hours but Ben finally finishes an arrangement of purple morning glories and begins walking over to Black Lotus Tattoo just half a block away. He enters the shop and is thankful there’s not many people in, just the soft buzzing of needles and indistinct chatter. Rey turns the corner staring down at her sketchbook before she looks up and meets his eyes.

“Ben! Hey, nice to see you again.” she says with wide eyes and a shy smile, dropping her sketchbook on the front counter to come up to him. “Oh wow, these are beautiful. Thank you!” Her awestruck consideration of the flowers gives Ben a moment to drink in her features up close, admiring the dusting of freckles across her cheeks he hadn’t noticed before staring down her figure in a black halter tank top and high waisted jeans.

“Mom finally let me do my first arrangement so I’m glad I didn’t totally butcher it for you.” he chuckles.

“I’d say you’re a natural!” she laughs back, showcasing that blinding smile he's already trying to find a way to see again. They’re briefly interrupted by a guy coming around the corner who stops dead in his tracks upon seeing Ben. The guy is covered in tattoos, has a dark beard that’s almost completely covering a silver lip ring.

“Damn Niima, since when did you get a boyfriend?” he jokes, raising his eyebrows. Ben almost chokes on his saliva, apparently the image of a guy bringing a beautiful girl flowers leaves little to the imagination. His mind is scrambling to come up with a way to tell him he’s indeed  _ not _ her boyfriend when she interrupts.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Dameron. Now go set up for your 2:30 appointment before I make you get that handprint tattoo on your ass from last week's bet.” she barks with a laugh. This seems to do the trick, because the guy does one finally glance over Ben before begrudgingly returning to his station. He won’t try to dwell on the reasons why she didn’t deny him being her boyfriend to that guy; he shakes any optimistic thoughts out of his head, trying not to get his hopes up any more than they already are. 

“Sorry about him. He’s the one who fucked up my lavenders from last week. Although, it might have been a blessing in disguise because now I have these.” she gently takes the vase from him as their fingers briefly brush against each other on the cool glass. “I’m gonna go put them by my station.” she nudges her head in the direction of the back of the shop and he follows her, unable to tear his eyes from the way her hips sway when she walks.  _ Don’t be a perv, Solo. Even if she has more sex appeal in her pinky finger than you do in your entire body. _

She places the vase down as he surveys the room, walls covered in artwork and photos of pieces she’s done for clients. “I know it’s not much, but this place is my baby. As soon as I saved enough money for a space I took it without second thought.” she says softly.

“You should be really proud of yourself. My mom can’t stop saying nice things about you.”

“Leia’s really sweet. She gave me a beautiful wreath of daisies on our opening day and we’ve been friends ever since.” He smiles at the thought. Mom always welcomed new businesses to the street with a small bouquet and greeting, formalities from being a politician. But Ben knew how time-consuming a handmade wreath was, his mom obviously taken with Rey easily (and he's starting to see why). There’s a moment of pause between them, almost like they’re just content with being in each other's company. Rey must have shaken herself out of a trance as she blinks up at him. “So, what do I owe for this exquisite piece?” she says playfully.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s on the house.”

“That’s unacceptable.” Rey chides, slowly taking a few steps towards him, looking up under fluttered lashes. “At least let me buy you a coffee?” His heart starts to beat rapidly. _Relax, Solo. She's just being nice. Getting coffee is a normal thing that people do. It is not a date, no matter how badly you want it to be._

“Hm, I guess that’s a fair trade. I happen to know a good place around the corner.” he smirks, taking out his elbow for her to interlock her arm with. She giggles and takes it, placing her other hand on his forearm as they exit the shop.




Three months. It’s been three months since he met Rey and every day he finds himself falling for her more and more. She makes a point to pop in and say hi almost every morning on her way to work, and once in a while he gives her a single flower to take with her. It’s a quick and simple routine that becomes the highlight of Ben’s day. Occasionally they’ll text each other, Ben sending her pictures of arrangements he’s working on and Rey sending him sketches and tattoos she’s done that day. He tries not to think about how many times he’s chickened out on asking her on a date, but he can’t bear the thought of ruining the good thing they’ve got going if she rejects him. 

It's about ten minutes to closing time on a Friday night and he gets a text from Rey asking him to meet at her shop when he’s done. Leia’s already gone home so he quickly does all the closing tasks and locks up Buds and Blooms for the night. He paces quickly down to Black Lotus and opens the door pensively, a little bell ringing much like the one he's used to in his mothers shop. She’s standing at the front counter and immediately looks up at him with a warm smile.

“Hey.”

“Hi. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah yeah, of course. I just wanted some company while I close up." she says casually, looking down at her notebook. "Unless you’ve got plans or a date or something.”

“What? No, no plans. Definitely no date. Of course I’ll stay.” Does she really think he could date anyone else when _she_ exists? 

She nods her head and walks back to her station, and he observes as she tidies up her desk and puts instruments away. He hasn’t been to her shop in awhile but a new piece of artwork on the wall catches his eye. A glass frame filled with flattened and dried flowers, flowers that look all too familiar to the ones he’s been giving her every day. He goes to inspect it closer, his eyes bewildered that she actually kept his small tokens of affection.

“Your mother gave me this book awhile back... _ The Language of Flowers _ ,” she says to break the silence, Ben turning to look at her as his eyes go wide with surprise. She's holding the book in her hands, faded and frayed binding seemingly keeping it together. “It basically shows that every flower has a meaning, so I couldn’t help but do some research shortly after I met you.” She opens it and begins skimming the pages.

“And what did you discover?” he asks, swallowing thickly. 

“Morning glories: affection. Edelweiss: devotion. Salvias: ‘I think of you'. Tulips: passionate yearning...Who knew flowers could say more romantic things than most people?” She shuts the book and places it back on the table before slowly walking up to close the gap between them. “Now maybe I’m looking too deeply into this--”

“No. You’re not. I’ll be honest I wasn’t expecting you to know plant symbolism, my mom taught me about it growing up. She said it was the best way to communicate when you couldn't quite find the words. But yes. Every single one was intentional.” She gasps softly as he places his hands on her upper arms, looking down at her ardently.

“But....why me?” she whispers, looking down at her feet. Does she really not see how she’s captivated him? That she’s the only person he’s thought about for three months, thinking that she was too good for him?

“It’s always been you. I’ve been enamored by you since the day we met. But I’m just a boring, clean-cut guy with nothing but a desk job to look forward to for the rest of my life. I didn’t think you felt the same way so I--” he’s quickly cut off when her lips press against his, startling him for a moment before he’s kissing her back.

Rey is kissing him.

_She_ is kissing _him_. 

And it's not a dream. At least he doesn't think so. 

They don't break apart as she slowly starts walking him back, pushing him softly into the reclining tattoo chair as she crawls up to straddle his lap. He’s perfect content with her taking charge, her tongue darting into his mouth to explore and massage his tongue. His grip on her waist tightens as she cards her fingers through his hair and gives it a light tug. They eventually break for air, panting against each other's skin as their foreheads rest against each other.

“Do you still think I don’t feel the same way?” she chides breathlessly. He chuckles, shaking his head. Rey begins trailing open mouth kisses down the column of his throat, sucking and licking on a particular spot above his collarbone that leaves him speechless. She slowly begins rocking back and forth across his lap, her t-shirt dress hiking up her thighs so that only the thin damp fabric of her panties is pressed against his jeans. 

“ _ Fuck _ Rey...you’re going to kill me.” he breathes hoarsely, unable to focus on the multiple points of stimulation. 

“I sure hope not...because I want you to fuck me first.” she chuckles into his skin. Her words earn a deep groan from the back of his throat, his brain practically short circuiting at the thought. He planned that maybe he would take her out on a date first, and they would kiss a little bit and then maybe,  _ just maybe _ , she would want to have sex with him. But being in this chair with her throws all caution to the wind as he cups her face in his hands and kisses her passionately. 

She continues to rock against his growing hardness, but not for long before he scoops her up by her ass and flips them over so she’s sitting in the chair with her legs spread wide. He drops to his knees while his large hands snake up her tattooed skin, pushing her dress further and further up until he can see her soaked black lace panties. He traces the pattern of the large dragon on her left thigh with the tip of his tongue before trailing wet kisses to her inner thighs. His thumb goes to stroke her sex up and down and he is momentarily surprised to feel something different.

“Oh yeah, I have a... _ piercing _ . I hope that’s not off-putting for you.” she says with an embarrassed blush. His eyes grow wider and blacker with lust as he pushes her panties to the side to see it for himself. Lo and behold, he sees a shiny silver ball glistening right on the hood of her clit just begging to be touched. He wastes no item running a stripe across her folds with his tongue, the cool metal hitting him causing her to buck her hips instantly. Her grip on his hair grows tighter as he takes his time between her thighs; kissing, licking and sucking every inch of her as she writhes in her chair.

“Ben... _ fuck _ ! Don’t stop…” she moans, making eye contact with him as he takes the pierced bud between his plush lips and sucks earnestly. He’s never been more turned on in his life, palming himself through his jeans as she finally comes on his face with a passionate cry. 

“Do you still think I find your piercing  _ off-putting _ ?” he smirks, recalling back to her previous question. She pulls his face up to rejoin their lips, not seeming to care that she’s tasting herself in the process. He stands up while she's seated and Rey wastes no time tugging off his shirt, gasping at the sheer expanse of his chest in front of her. Her hands spread across his pecs and shoulders as her lips trace kisses down the soft trail of hair on his abs. 

“Off.” he orders roughly, tearing her dress off to reveal a black silk bralette. “Let me guess, you have these pierced too?” Ben smiles, cupping each breast and brushing the pad of his thumb across them. He already answers his own question as he feels hard metal buds at each nipple, thanking every deity that this woman has been blessed upon his life. “ _ Very _ off-putting.” he smirks with a deep sarcastic chuckle. She quickly shucks the bralette off, allowing him to resume his ministrations on her pert breasts.

She laughs and moans at the same time, her head tilting back as she relishes the feeling of his large warm hands on her. He wants to savor this for as long as possible, to feel and kiss every inch of her all night long in this tattoo shop, but it's clear none of them can wait that long. He takes his hands off her breasts and begins to fumble with his belt and jeans, Rey standing up to assist.

“As hot as it would be to ride you in this chair, I think it’ll break with how hard I need you to fuck me.” she remarks, palming him through his boxers. He nods breathlessly, kicking off his jeans and boxers in one fell swoop to reveal himself completely aching and hard. Her eyes widen momentarily before growing blacker with lust. Ben scoops her up by her ass again and pins her to a nearby wall that thankfully doesn’t have any fragile artwork on it. “Oh, I know it’s a little late in the game for this, but you’re clean right? I’m on the pill and clean.”

“I’m an embarrassing amount of clean.” he smiles awkwardly, earning him a sweet kiss from Rey. She giggles with a nod, adjusting her hips to allow him to slot perfectly between her legs. He pushes in carefully, not just to try to give her time to adjust but more selfishly allowing himself to cherish the feeling of being inside her warm wet heat. He wasn’t kidding when he said it’s been an embarrassing amount of time since he’s had sex, so he’s trying to think of  _ anything _ that will get him to last long enough to have her come again. 

“Faster, Ben…” she huffs, gripping the hair at his scalp and tugging gently. He bends forward slightly and wastes no time taking one of her pierced nipples in his mouth and sucking hard, swirling his tongue around the stiff metal bud until she’s practically screaming his name. They know this position against the wall is not ideal for long, so he carries her over to an empty countertop and sits her on the edge of it, her arms stabilizing her up as he slams back into her.

“ _Fuck_ , you feel so good baby.” he groans. He can feel how close he is, so he takes one of his hands that doesn't have to hold onto her anymore and brings it to her pierced bud. She begins to pant harder and harder, a string of expletives leaving her lips as she gets closer to her peak. He comes fast and hard, pounding into her quickly to reach her release. She joins him moments later, biting down on his shoulder with a loud moan. 

The air is thick with humidity, their ragged breaths the only sound filling the room. Ben looks down to Rey with a shy smile, and she returns it with a short sweet kiss.

“That was--” he begins.

“Yeah--” she responds.

They eventually detangle themselves from each other and begin putting back on their clothes in relative silence, Ben’s brain swirling with different emotions. Was this just a one time thing? He really hopes not, but will respect her wishes if it is. He turns to look at her as she throws her dress over her head.

“Ben...I really don’t want this to be the only time we do that.” she says quietly, closing the space between them. Relief rushes over him like a waterfall, the words almost too good to be true coming from her lips.

“Me neither.” he whispers, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. He cups her jawline to press another soft kiss to her lips, the two of them smiling into it.

“Good.” she says with a nod. “Now, let me leave some extra money for the cleaning guy and let’s get out of here.” 




The ringing bell of Bud and Bloom’s front door takes Ben out of his thoughts as he’s surprised with a familiar radiant smile. He can’t believe how lucky he is to call Rey his girlfriend. It’s only been a month and he can already see himself falling more in love with her every day. She’s walking up to where he is behind the counter with two coffees in hand, placing one of the surface between them.

“Just a little liquid courage for your appointment later today.” she smirks. “You know you can still back out if you want to.”

“I can’t believe you’ve finally convinced him to get a tattoo.” Leia laughs, coming around the corner from her office to greet them.

“Hey, he did this out of his own volition!” she raises her hands up in innocence. “I’m just the artist.”

“Yes, I’m sure. I know you’ll do a good job.” Ben nods with a sly smile, bending over the counter to kiss her. It’s a quick kiss before she pulls away, an embarrassed flush on her cheeks as she looks over to Leia. Here she is, a badass fiesty little firecracker...getting shy about public displays of affection. If that doesn't make him even more of a goner for her...

“Oh, don’t stop on my account. There’s nothing these old eyes haven’t seen! I’ll just go...water a plant, I guess.” she shrugs, winking over at Rey before disappearing into the expanse of flowers. Ben comes around the counter to scoop Rey up by her waist and deposits her on the counter next to their coffees. She giggles, reaching over to pick out a Calla Lily from a display bouquet.

“What does this one mean?” she asks, cocking her head to one side.

“Purity and innocence.”

She snorts. “Well, that ship has sailed.” They laugh as she puts it back and picks out a yellow carnation. “What about this one?”

“Disdain and disappointment.” he chuckles, her face dropping in surprise before quickly tossing the flower behind her.

“Well, I think it’s pretty clear that there’s nothing  _ disappointing _ about you.” she whispers huskily into his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. He suddenly feels a rush of fearlessness as he holds his beautiful girl close. Normally he tries to think everything through carefully, but when he has her staring at him like that he knows that what he feels is right. 

“I think the only flower we have to worry about is this one…” he says, pulling apart from her momentarily to pick one from the mixed bunch behind him. He holds it behind his back until he’s standing in between her knees again. He reveals a single red rose, her eyes lighting up with wondrous joy.

“But that means--” she stammers.

“I love you. I know it’s probably way too soon to say it but I’ve been hopelessly in love with you ever since that first day. You don’t have to say it back but--”

“I love _you_ , Ben. Ever since that first day I met you. Even when I didn’t know it.” she breathes, her eyes glassy with emotion. He kisses her again, grasping her waist to lift her and twirl her around the room. He puts back down gently and they’re caught in a fit of giggles. “Okay, now I  _ really _ can’t fuck up your tattoo tonight!” she laughs.

“Rey, you could tattoo a handprint on my ass and I’d probably still love you.” Ben admits, running a hand through his hair.

“Don’t tempt me with a good time, Solo.” Rey winks, pulling him down to kiss her again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to follow me on Twitter @blessedreylo for fun times or if you have a prompt you'd like me to write! Here's what I've written, both done or currently in the works:
> 
> when I look to you: cute friends-to-lovers Reylo/Harry Potter AU :)
> 
> within these walls: historical royalty oneshot, princess Rey and seamstress' son-turned knight Ben
> 
> a promise to hold: canon-divergent post TRoS fic, Ben goes into self-imposed exile and Rey must deal with her own revelations before meeting again
> 
> delicate composition: 10 Things I Hate About You AU, social curmudgeon Rey meets aloof bad boy Ben


End file.
